Fluid level gauge assembly

ABSTRACT

An easy to construct and install gauge assembly for continuously monitoring the level of fluid in a tank in response to movement of a float secured to a lower shaft of the assembly. The assembly comprises a gauge on a support body over a small opening in the top of the tank and responsive to turning of an upper shaft within the support body. Upper and lower brackets connected by a support arm extend from the body within the tank. The upper bracket is releasably secured in a vertical bore in the body adjacent the gauge. The upper and lower brackets include a pair of upper and lower open-ended slots, respectively, for receiving the upper and lower shafts and sprockets for supporting a continuous loop of chain. The pairs of upper and lower slots and hence the upper and lower shafts are angularly displaced at an angle greater than 90* and less than 180* whereby the chain is twisted to remove undesired slack and such that vertically extending portions of the chain are spaced from the support arm from each other.

United States Patent Schoepflin 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] FLUID LEVEL GAUGEASSEMBLY [57 ST C [72] lnv n I Charles Schmpflin 8321 Crenshaw An easyto construct and install gauge assembly for continu- Blvd., Los Angeles,Calif. 90305 ously monitoring the level of fluid in a tank in responseto movement of a float secured to a lower shaft of the assembly. [22]Filed 1970 The assembly comprises a gauge on a support body over a 2APPL 101,450 small opening in the top of the tank and responsive toturning of an upper shaft within the support body. Upper and lowerbrackets connected by a support arm extend from the body [52] US. Cl..73/317, 73/321 within the tank The upper bracket is reieasably securedin a 1 Int. Cl. vertical bore in the adjacent the gauge The upper and[58] Field of Search ..73/320, 317, 32 l, 3l8 low brackets include apair of upper and lower open-ended slots, respectively, for receivingthe upper and lower shafts [56] References Cited and sprockets forsupporting a continuous loop of chain. The pairs of upper and lowerslots and hence the upper and lower UNITED STATES PATENTS shafts areangularly displaced at an angle greater than 90 and less than 180whereby the chain is twisted to remove un- 13,519 9/ l 855 Boyd 73/321desired slack and such that vertically extending portions of the1,314,983 9/1919 Savage ..73/32l chain are Spaced from the pp arm fromeach other l,375,l3l 4/1921 Cox ..73/3l8 3 Claims, 4 Drawing FiguresPrimary Examiner-Louis R. Prince Assistant ExaminerDaniel M. YasichAttorneyHarris, Kiech, Russell & Kern 16 1 6 56 {7:252 32 l m 4a FLUIDLEVEL GAUGE ASSEMBLY DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to animproved gauge assembly for monitoring the level of fluid in a tank.

Commercially available assemblies for monitoring the level of a fluid ina tank commonly comprise pairs of drive and driven gears and anelongated shaft. The gears and shaft are precision formed and aremounted in special bearing configurations to mechanically turn a dial ofan associated gauge in response to movement of a float connected to oneof the gears. Because the gears are precision formed, they arerelatively expensive. The same is often true of the bearingconfigurations which, in addition, require periodic servicing andreplacement.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a simplified, relatively inexpensive and easy to construct andinstall gauge assembly for monitoring the level offluid in a tank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid gaugeassembly of the foregoing character which does not require orincorporate gears or special bearing mounts.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedgauge assembly of the foregoing character including upper and lowershafts resting and guided in open-ended upper and lower slots of upperand lower brackets, respectively.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a gaugeassembly of the foregoing character further including sprockets on theshafts supporting a continuous loop of chain which drives the uppershaft to turn a gauge dial in response to turning of the lower shaftwith movement of a float within the tank.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a gaugeassembly of the foregoing character wherein the upper and lower shaftsare angularly displaced to produce a partial twisting of the chain suchthat all undesired slack is removed from the chain and such thatvertically extending portions of the chain do not engage supportingstructure or each other.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be moreclearly understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen 3. with the drawing which, by way of example only, illustrates oneform of a gauge assembly embodying the features of the presentinvention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drive chain and supporting sprocketsand shafts included in the illustrated form of the gauge assembly of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the drive chain and supporting sprockets andshafts illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the gauge assembly taken along theline 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional front view of the gauge assembly taken along thelines of4-4 in FIG. 3,

Generally speaking, the assembly comprises a gauge secured to theoutside of a support body 12 mounted on top of a tank '14 over arelatively small opening 16. The gauge 10 is responsive to a turning ofan upper shaft 18 within the support body 12. The shaft 18 is turned bydriving movement of a chain 20 in a response to a turning of a lowershaft 22 connected to a float 24. The float 24 rides on the top of afluid within the tank 14 such that the float rises and falls withchanges in the level of the fluid to produce a corresponding turning ofthe lower and upper shafts and hence a continuous indication on thegauge of the level of the fluid.

More specifically, the gauge 10 may be of a conventional magnet driventype including a dial 26 mounted on a shaft 28 to which is secured amagnet (not shown). The dial 26 is adapted to turn with the shaft 28 infront of a scale 30 divided into units of volume to indicate thequantity of fluid within the tank 14. The gauge 10 is secured to anupwardly extending face 32 of the support body 12 by means of tubularmating bosses 34 and 36 extending from the back of the gauge 10 and theface 32 respectively and by means of a spring pin 38 passing throughaligned openings in the mating bosses. In this manner, the gauge 10 maybe simply removed from the supporting body 12 by removing the pin 38 andslipping the boss 34 from within the boss 36.

The support body 12 includes an upwardly extending portion 40 having astepped lower face 42 for tightly fitting within the opening 16 with aneck 44 extending downwardly therethrough and into the tank 14. Flanges46 extend outwardly from the vertical portion 40 and are secured to thetop of the tank 14 as by bolts or screws.

As previously indicated, the gauge 10 is responsive to a turning of theshaft 18. In the illustrated form of the present invention, the shaft 18is mounted within the support body 12 in line with the shaft 28 andcarries a magnet 48 for turning the shaft 28 in response to a turning ofthe shaft 18. The mounting arrangement for the shaft 18 is quite simple,as is the entire assembly. In this respect, the shaft 18 is supported byan upper tubular bracket 50. The tubular bracket 50 fits within avertical bore 52 in the support body 12 extending upwardly through theneck 44. The upper bracket 50 is dimensioned to extend below the neck 44and into the tank 14. It is secured in place within the bore 52 by meansof a spring pin 54 extending through aligned openings in the neck 44 andin the upper bracket 50. In this way, the upper bracket is easilymounted within the bore 52 simply by inserting the bracket upwardly intothe bore and slipping the spring pin 54 into place.

To support the upper shaft 18, the upper bracket 50 includes a pair ofdiametrically opposite vertically extending and open-ended upper slots56 and 57. The shaft 18 is mounted in the bracket 50 simply by slippingthe shaft 18 over the top of the bracket and allowing it to drop downinwardly within the slots 56 and 57 with opposite ends of the shaftresting on the lower ends of the slot.

Thus mounted, the shaft 18 supports a sprocket 58 for tuning with theshaft and supporting the chain 20. An opposite end of the chain 20extends around a similar sprocket 60 secured on the lower shaft 22which, in turn, is guided by a lower bracket 62.

The lower bracket 62 is secured to the upper bracket 50 within the tank14 but by means of a vertical support arm 64. Preferably, the supportarm 64 takes the form of a half-tube secured as by rivets, welding orthe like, to the lower portion of the upper bracket 50 extending belowthe neck 44 and to an upper portion of the lower bracket 62. The concaveportion of the half-tube faces the chain 20.

The lower bracket 62 resembles the upper bracket 50 in that it istubular in shape for receiving the chain 20 and includes a pair ofvertically extending diametrically opposite and open-ended lower slots66 and 67. It bears noting that the lower slots 66 and 67 do not providevertical bearing support for the lower shaft 22 or the sprocket 60 butrather function only as lateral guides for the shaft 22. The lower shaft22 and sprocket 60 are, in fact, supported by the chain 20 as it extendsfrom the upper sprocket 58.

As previously indicated, the float 24 is connected to the lower shaft 22to produce a rotation thereof in response to changes in the level of thefluid within the tank 14. In this regard, one end of the shaft 22extends outwardly beyond the side of the lower bracket 22 to receive aU-shaped yoke 68. A float rod 70 passes through the yoke and is securedin place as by a rivet. The float 24 is connected to one end of the rod70 while a counterbalancing weight (not shown) is connected to anopposite end of the rod.

It bears noting that the upper and lower shafts 20 and 22 are angularlydisplaced from each other and that by virtue of such displacement, thechain 20 is twisted. The twisting of the chain is quite important in thegauge assembly of the present invention. First, the twisting insuresthat all unnecessary slack is taken from the chain during assembly ofthe gauge. Secondly, the twisting spaces vertically extending portionsof the chain from the support arm 64 and insures that they will notcontact the support arm during operation of the gauge. It is importantin this regard that the vertically extending portions of the chain donot rub against each other during operation of the gauge. In thisrespect, the upper and lower shafts and 22 lie in vertical planes whichare angularly displaced from each other by more than 90 but less than180? and preferably between 170 and 175. To produce such angulardisplacement of the upper and lower shafts 20 and 22, the pairs of upperand lower slots 56, 57 and 66, 67 are angularly displaced from eachother. The upper and lower shafts being supported within the upper andlower pairs of slots are likewise angularly displaced to produce thedesired twisting of the chain 20.

As previously indicated, the design of the present invention produces agauge assembly which is easy to construct and to install. In thisregard, to construct the gauge assembly, the support arm 64 is securedto the upper bracket 50. The chain 20 is then trained over the uppersprocket 58 and upper shaft 18 and dropped through the upper bracketuntil the ends of the shaft 18 rest on the bottoms of the slots 56 and57. The lower portion of the chain is then dropped through the lowerbracket 62 which is not yet attached to the support arm 64. The lowerportion of the chain is trained around the lower sprocket 60 and shaft22, and the lower bracket 22 is slipped downwardly such that the ends ofthe shaft 22 enter the open ends of the slots 66 and 67 to providelateral guidance for the shaft 22. The lower bracket 62 is then turnedrelative to the upper bracket 50 until the lower shaft 22 and uppershaft 20 are angularly displaced between 90 and 180 and preferablybetween 170 and 175. The lower bracket 62 is then secured to the supportarm 64.

Next, the upper bracket is mounted within the support body 12 byslipping the upper bracket upward into the vertical bore 52 and byinserting the spring pin 54 into the aligned openings. The rod 70 isthen secured to the yoke 68 with the float 24 attached to one endthereof.

The gauge assembly is now ready for installing within the tank 14. Toaccomplish this, the rod 70 is brought into vertical alignment with thesupport arm 64 and the support arm and rod are introduced through theopening 16 into the tank. Flanges 46 of the support body 12 are thensecured to the top of the tank to complete the installation.

Once the assembly is installed, any changes in the fluid level withinthe tank 14 will produce a rise and fall of the float 24. This, in turn,will produce a turning of the lower shaft 22 and lower sprocket 60. Thechain 20 produces a like turning of the upper shaft 22 and uppersprocket 58 to produce a turning of the magnet 48. The turning of themagnet 48 produces a like turning of the magnet on the shaft 28 to causethe dial 26 to move along the scale 30 and continuously indicate thelevel of the fluid within the tank.

While a particular form of gauge assembly has been described in detailherein, changes and modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention isto be limited in scope only by the terms of the following claims.

lclaim:

1. An easy to construct and install gauge assembly for mounting on atank to monitor the level of fluid contained therein, comprising:

a gauge supporting body for mounting on an exterior of a fluidcontaining tank over a small opening in a top of said tank, said bodyincluding a lower neck portion for extending through said opening intosaid tank and having a substantially vertical bore extending throughsaid neck into said body above said top of said tank;

an upper bracket for mounting in said bore with a lower end extendingbelow said neck in said tank, said upper bracket including diametricallyopposite substantially vertical upper slots open to a top of said upperbracket for vertically receiving a shaft from a top of said upperbracket prior to insertion of said upper bracket into said bore;

means for securingsaid upper bracket in said bore; an upper shaft havingopposite ends for resting on bottoms of said upper slots whereby saidupper shaft is free to turn on its longitudinal axis relative to saidupper bracket;

an upper sprocket mounted on said upper shaft for turning therewith;

an elongated substantially vertical support arm secured to said lowerend of said upper bracket for extending downward into said tank;

a lower bracket secured to a lower end of said support arm and includingdiametricallyopposite substantially vertical lower slots open to abottom of said lower bracket for vertically receiving a shaft from abottom of said lower bracket, said lower slots lying in a vertical planeangularly displaced at an angle greater than and less than 180' from avertical plane including said upper slots;

a lower shaft having opposite ends for riding in said lower slots, oneof said ends extending outwardly beyond said lower bracket;

a lower sprocket mounted on said lower shaft therewith;

a float carrying rod secured to said one end of said lower shaft forturning said lower shaft with changes in the level of fluid in saidtank;

a loop of chain extending around and between said upper and lowersprockets for turning said upper sprocket and shaft in response toturning of said lower sprocket and shaft, said chain being twisted byvirtue of the angular displacement of said upper and lower shafts insaid upper and lower slots whereby vertical extending portions of saidchain are spaced from said support arm and each other; and

a gauge mounted on said support body and responsive to a turning of saidupper shaft to continuously indicate the level of fluid in said tank.

2. The gauge assembly of claim 1 wherein said bore in said support bodyis substantially cylindrical, said upper and lower brackets are tubular,said support arm comprises a section of a vertically extending tubehaving a curved inner surface facing said chain and wherein said meansfor securing said upper bracket in said bore comprises a pin for passingthrough aligned openings in said neck and upper bracket to releasablysecure upper bracket in said bore.

3. The gauge assembly of claim 2 wherein said lower slots are angularlydisplaced from said upper slots at an angle between and for turning

1. An easy to construct and install gauge assembly for mounting on atank to monitor the level of fluid contained therein, comprising: agauge supporting body for mounting on an exterior of a fluid containingtank over a small opening in a top of said tank, said body including alower neck portion for extending through said opening into said tank andhaving a substantially vertical bore extending through said neck intosaid body above said top of said tank; an upper bracket for mounting insaid bore with a lower end extending below said neck in said tank, saidupper bracket including diametrically opposite substantially verticalupper slots open to a top of said upper bracket for vertically receivinga shaft from a top of said upper bracket prior to insertion of saidupper bracket into said bore; means for securing said upper bracket insaid bore; an upper shaft having opposite ends for resting on bottoms ofsaid upper slots whereby said upper shaft is free to turn on itslongitudinal axis relative to said upper bracket; an upper sprocketmounted on said upper shaft for turning therewith; an elongatedsubstantially vertical support arm secured to said lower end of saidupper bracket for extending downward into said tank; a lower bracketsecured to a lower end of said support arm and including diametricallyopposite substantially vertical lower slots open to a bottom of saidlower bracket for vertically receiving a shaft from a bottom of saidlower bracket, said lower slots lying in a vertical plane angularlydisplaced at an angle greater than 90* and less than 180* from avertical plane including said upper slots; a lower shaft having oppositeends for riding in said lower slots, one of said ends extendingoutwardly beyond said lower bracket; a lower sprocket mounted on saidlower shaft for turning therewith; a float carrying rod secured to saidone end of said lower shaft for turning said lower shaft with changes inthe level of fluid in said tank; a loop of chain extending around andbetween said upper and lower sprockets for turning said upper sprocketand shaft in response to turning of said lower sprocket and shaft, saidchain being twisted by virtue of the angular displacement of said upperand lower shafts in said upper and lower slots whereby verticalextending portions of said chain are spaced from said support arm andeach other; and a gauge mounted on said support body and responsive to aturning of said upper shaft to continuously indicate the level of fluidin said tank.
 2. The gauge assembly of claim 1 wherein said bore in saidsupport body is substantially cylindrical, said upper and lower bracketsare tubular, said support arm comprises a section of a verticallyextending tube having a curved inner surface facing said chain andwherein said means for securing said upper bracket in said borecomprises a pin for passing through aligned openings in said neck andupper bracket to releasably secure upper bracket in said bore.
 3. Thegauge assembly of claim 2 wherein said lower slots are angularlydisplaced from said upper slots at an angle between 170* and 175.